Eisenhower Warns of The Military-Industrial Complex

It was 50 years ago when Dwight Eisenhower made a speech using the phrase "military industrial complex," when warning us of the dangers in a ballooning military budget and the U.S. desire to maintain such a large military. He warned of a "permanent arms industry of vast proportions."

If anyone would have been knowledgeable on military budgets and size, it would have been the man who lead the U.S. invasion on D-Day, and commanded the military to win the war in Europe.

Prior to WWII and Korea, there weren't many industries that were solely dependent on the military. For example when we needed Jeeps so Ford stepped in and helped produce them. When we needed aircraft there were multiple companies to build them, besides building commercial planes. But as time went on, the cost of supporting the military went up, and business was built around that purpose alone. So that now, when we cut the military budget those industries are hurt, and American jobs are lost. And with businesses like Boeing having plants in states across the U.S. those jobs losses could happen in any congressman's district. A congressman who appropriates the military budget.

Accounting for inflation the militaries budget has doubled since Eisenhower left office.

The U.S. currently spends about 663 BILLION dollars on its military budget. Larger than any other country in the world. And more than twice the budget of the next highest country on the list of China.

We use the excuse that we need to keep America safe to justify our military spending. Yet, it's just as safe to be in Europe as it is here. Canada is just as safe as the U.S. So forth and so on.

What would our education system be like if we spent that kind of money on it? Or our healthcare system, mass transit, environment, or even space exploration? Yet we focus on the now, and not the future. We focus on fear over reality. And the military budget goes up, while the country goes down and deeper in debt.